How low is too low?

[lissie0113]

Hello everyone! So I live in Tampa, FL, which is sunny and warm most of the time, but does get an occasionally drop on the thermometer. Tonight is going to have a low of 46 F, and its going to continue to be as low as 39 at night over the week..... So how low of a temperature can my outdoor orchids take? At what temp should i bring them in? I have two vandas (one in bloom) a den, a catt (in bloom) and two oncidiums (one in bloom and one that just finished)

[kmarch]

Vandas are warm growing orchids so the low and of safe for them is about 60-65F though my one vanda occasionally gets a 50F night without suffering. Lower than that, I'd bring it in.

Most of the commonly grown dens, catts, and oncidiums are intermediate growers so the low end of safe is about 55-60F. Come dens and catts though (especially those catts wth Sophronitis coccinea) can take cooler. I have a Wendy's Redstone hat I grow outside where it gets winter night temps as low as 40F.

I see you're in Florida and we have lots of Florida growers here who will have useful info for you.

[FLBob]

With the number of plants I have growing outside, I very rarely bring them in. I know some will suffer this week. I expect buds to blast.
When the temps are forecast to get below the low 40's I start looking for ways to protect vandas and phals and anything in bud. These will get special treatment and be brought in doors. Everything else I place out of the wind and up against the house. I build a visqueen "tent" and string lights under the plants. The lights generate heat and the visqueen tent holds in the humidity.

[lmartiny]

I just hope they are wrong and it won't drop so low. It is a ton of work trying to protect plants for 1 or 2 nights. Last year we had one bad plunge and despite efforts to protect I lost most of my Clerodendum blooms that just start to set this time of year. (and half the plant) I will cover a few tender things in the yard and bring in some of the orchids. Then just hope for the best. Darn it!!

[LauraGR]

When I was at Winsome Orchids a few weeks ago, I spoke again with the proprieter about the cold on the plants. Their greenhouse is a huge corrugated fiberglass structure - rippled, translucent plastic walls. He said that the Vandas, which are all hanging along the wall of the greenhouse, do touch it in places and occasionally the condensation from the humidity freezes and in places touches the Vandas. He said he rarely has a problem, and they are thriving - most were blooming or coming into bloom when I was there. Last night it was about -20 in the suburbs where he is.

[florchidlvr88]

lmartiny I live across the bay from you. Like FlBob Mine also stay out thru the winter.I watch out for temps that drop into the low 40s or lower for several hours or more.I move mine to the garage if a frost or hard freeze arrives.Lots are outside on trees and have been for years and have no problem.Except for occasional bloom blast or frost bite. Our temps rarely get that low for any length of time in Pinellas Co.We have water on three sides of us, helps to keep temps up.

[lissie0113]

thanks guys..... i decided to bring in the vandas, the den, and the catt, since they are all in hanging baskets and pretty easy to move. they are now hanging on my shower curtain rod. The rest are staying outside.... and im sure they will be fine. But it is nice to know what everyone else does when it turns cold for a few days out of the year...... ;o)

[lmartiny]

Nothing is moving tonight. As I sit here....
Its tomorrow that it is to get real cold.

[FLBob]

I just looked at the 5 day forecast, two mornings with lows in the thirties. That's the point that I feel I need to protect my plants. I brought in my blooming/budding catts, We're making room for the Phals, dens, and onc. The vandas are the real problem...
Since I'm just off the gulf I don't expect the temps to be at their lowest where I am but it's better to be safe.

[davetheorchidaddict]

lissie0113, better bring all of them in this week, it is surpose to get down in the low 30's to the mid 20's so I have everything in the gh. FLbob, you should not be that low down there, I am about 35 mi north of Tampa and I hope the heaters work all night.

[lissie0113]

so i brought them all in tonight. its not supposed to get down quite that low here.... 36 is the low for the week, but that is still really cold. hope everyones plants do okay!

[mrspiza]

It's getting down to -13F here tomorrow night...wish I had your problem!

[lmartiny]

Eek!! Negative 13. I spoke to my client in Minneapolis today and it's -20. Ugh. I can't handle that at all.
I did bring everything in. Orchids that is. There is still a lot of stuff out there that I will worry about.

[myorchid]

Originally Posted by mrspiza

It's getting down to -13F here tomorrow night...wish I had your problem!

I agree! The high was 42 today!

Hope your plants do OK!


Is it summer yet........

[jerrymeola]

We are going to have a week of cool temperatures to 36 here in Fort Myers. I do not use heaters in the greenhouse but just finished turning on the sprinklers (4:30 AM) for the next 4 hours. This works fine but a solid week of lows bothers me.

I will be watching for root rot by next week and it may be a couple of weeks before they get watered again.

In prior years I did nothing when temps went as low as this, but when forecast of 46 turns to be 25 when I wake up in the morning I stopped believing weathermen. I did not have problems until the temp stayed under 32. When the water in the plant's cells turns to ice and expands it breaks the cells and kills the leaves. However, the Encyclia and Cattleya frozen to 25 last year (with 40 mph winds) have recovered and are blooming again.

It did teach me how low Nobile type Dendrobium can go since the Dens next to the destroyed Cattleya did not even loose their flower buds at 25.

[davetheorchidaddict]

We are predicted to have a hard freeze the next two nights so everything is covered or in the gh, at least it is to be in the 50's during the day.


mrspiza, I remember well the cold in W. Lafayette and the wind as I walked across campus to get to class, many times I stopped at the sweetshop in the Union Building. That is one of the reasons I live down here.